Shining Force 4: Kaster's Revenge
by Shining Levi
Summary: After Kaster's father is killed, he goes on a mission to find his father's killer.
1. Chapter 1: The death of the king

Prolouge  
  
Ten years ago, Bowie and his force destroyed Zeon, the king of evil. They went back after loosing Lemon, who fell into the pit of darkness. The king of Granseals daughter, Ellis, became ill. Only a kiss of true love could break the spell cast on her by Zeon. Her lips had to be pink for the kiss to work. Granseal waited for two years to see her lips turn pink. But, one day, it happend. Ellis' lips were pink. The king of Granseal called everyone to the castle to decide who should go kiss her.....  
  
"Alright, everyone. I called you here on a matter of my daughter. She is ready. But, one of you must kiss her. A kiss of true love. Who will do it?" The king asked.  
  
"Oooh! Ooohh! I will!" Yelled out Jaha, who was a midget.  
  
"Jaha, I think that the princess' love has passed you. Someone else should do it." Sir Astral, the kings adviser, said.  
  
"Alright......Wait! What about Bowie?" Jaha asked.  
  
"Very good idea, Jaha! Bowie, will you bring life back to Ellis?" Astral asked.  
  
"Umm.....Yes." Bowie awnsered.  
  
"Hurry, then! Before her lips go dark again." Astral told him and pointed up the stairs.  
  
"Reminds me of when I was young..."Rohde, a architect, said.  
  
"Rohde, you were young once?" Zynk, a robot, asked.  
  
"Quiet you bucket of bolts!" Rohde yelled out.  
  
Bowie went up the stairs into Eillis' room. And, bending over to her, gave her a kiss of true love. She soon became very lively. Bowie and Ellis went back down to show everyone that she was alright. Everyone was very happy. But the king fell over in pain.  
  
"Get him up the stairs! Hurry!" Sir Astral said and ran up the stairs. The others took the king up. But, as the force tried to go to the king, Astral pushed them out.\line "I need space. I'll come down when I know what's happend." Astral said and closed the door.  
  
Time passed. About a hour with no sound coming from the kings room. Then, Astral came down.  
  
"Is he alright? What happend?" Chester, a Centaur, asked.\par "He...........Didn't make it." Astral said.  
  
"What?! You mean he's.........Dead?" The minister asked.  
  
"Yes. I'm afraid so." Astral said.  
  
"How?" Ellis asked.  
  
"Well, that Gizmo that came into our king left poision when he left. I never saw it. It just got to his heart. I'm sorry." Astral said.  
  
"Oh my gosh..........Wait...Who's going to be the king?" Jaha asked.  
  
"Bowie and Ellis will rule Granseal. They're the next in line." Astral told them. Bowie and Ellis claimed the thrown. Two years passed, and Ellis and Bowie has a son. They named him Kaster.  
  
Chapter 1- The death of the King  
  
"Dad?" Kaster asked.  
  
"What now, Kaster?" Bowie replied.  
  
"When will you teach me about swords?"  
  
"When your older. Now go to sleep." Bowie told him.  
  
"Ok...........................................Dad?" Kaster asked again.  
  
"What?" Bowie replied.  
  
"When will I become king?" Kaster asked.  
  
"You've asked this question every night since you were three. And I've given you the same awnser every night. Now go to bed." Bowie awnsered.  
  
"Ok, daddy." Kaster said. Bowie left.  
  
"Man that kid's getting annoying." Bowie said.  
  
"And you weren't at that age?" Ellis asked.  
  
"Well, I understand why my mom always got mad at me when I asked a question, now." Bowie said. Ellis smiled at him. Then he went up to the top of the castle. It was a beutiful sunset in Granseal. Everything had been peaceful for ten years. The king went towards the side of the caslte.  
  
"What a night.......What?" Bowie said as he saw a archer out in the forest near Granseal fall over.  
  
"What the........" Bowie said. Then he gasped before a arrow hit him in the neck. He fell over unconcious.  
  
After a while, Sir Astral left the kings room.  
  
"Is this going to end the way the old king did?" Jaha asked.  
  
"No. Bowie's alive, but paralized. He will never move again." Astral said.  
  
"Oh......My........Gosh.....Bowie." Jaha said.  
  
"Bowie told me that there was a archer there. Clad in green. You guys must find him. He might help." Sir Astral said.  
  
"Alright." The force said.   
  
At midnight, the force was ready to go. Only a small group had been chosen. Of them were Sarah, a Master monk, Chester, a Pegasus knight, Jaha, a Baron, Kazin, a Sorceror, Slade, a Ninja, and Peter, a Phoenix.  
  
"Good luck." Sir Astral said.  
  
"Yup.....Let's go find us an archer." Slade said. And they left. They went exploring throughout Granseal; looking for the archer. But, they couldn't find him.  
  
"Blast!" Sarah said.  
  
"Wait.....Look over near that dead tree!" Peter said. They looked. Lying on the ground was a archer in a greenish-red. He had blood all over him. Sarah ran down to him and cast Heal.  
  
"Runefaust.....Coming!" The archer said.  
  
"Runefaust?" Chester asked.  
  
"They will destroy this land! You must run!" The archer said.  
  
"What's your name? We'll inform the king once he gets better." Jaha said.  
  
"The king? What happend to your king?" The archer asked.  
  
"He was shot in the neck by a black arrow." Slade said. Suddenly the archer screamed and went pale.  
  
"He is dying. You must go to him, now!" The archer said. Then he handed Chester a paper.  
  
"What's this?" Chester asked. But the archer didn't reply.  
  
"Poor guy." Peter said.  
  
"Yeah. Let's go to Bowie!" Sarah said and they ran to the king.  
  
"Kaster, Bowie has been hurt." Ellis said.  
  
"Who's Bowie?" Kaster asked.  
  
"Your daddy." Ellis said.  
  
"Daddy........How?" Kaster asked.  
  
"Nevermind that. You want to talk to him?" Ellis asked.  
  
"Yeah." Kaster said. Ellis lead him to Bowie.  
  
"Daddy?" Kaster asked.  
  
"What?" Bowie awnsered.  
  
"Are you alright?" Kaster asked him.  
  
"I'll be ok." Bowie said.  
  
"Are you going to die?" Kaster asked.  
  
"I can't awnser that." Bowie said.  
  
"Daddy......." Kaster said and hugged his father.  
  
Suddenly, the doors burst opened, and in ran the force.  
  
"What is it?" Ellis asked, running into the hall.  
  
"The king! He's dying!" Sarah yelled.  
  
"What?!" Ellis said. The force caught up to her.  
  
"The king-is-dying. That's wh-at the arrow-did." Sarah gasped.  
  
"Bowie!" Ellis said. They ran into the king's room. They saw Kaster hugging Bowie, and Sir Astral standing over him. Comforting him.  
  
"Astral! The king is dying!" Peter said.  
  
"I know." Sir Astral said.  
  
"But....." Jaha said.  
  
"I knew about this. It's magic. And a very strong one at that. I cannot remove the spell."\line "But that means.....The king will....." Chester started.  
  
"Yes. He will die." Sir Astral finished.   
  
"Astral......." Bowie said. Everyone went to the king.  
  
"Yes, king?" Sir Astral asked.  
  
"Take care of Kaster. Don't let him hurt himself." Bowie said.  
  
"Alright." Astral said.  
  
"Ellis.......Kaster........" Bowie said.  
  
"What, Bowie?" Ellis asked. Kaster just looked at him.  
  
"I..............Love................You..............................." Bowie said softly.  
  
"I love you, too." Ellis said.  
  
"Dad?" Kaster asked.  
  
Bowie never spoke another word.  
  
"Kaster......He is dead." Sir Astral said.  
  
"No!!" Kaster said and jumped on his dad. "Daddy.....I......I'll......" Kaster started, then burst into tears. "What?" Kaster asked while looking into his dad's right hand. There was a paper in it. Kaster took the paper and ran off.  
  
"Chester, did you ever open the paper the archer gave you?" Kazin asked.  
  
"No. But....." Chester said and opened the paper.  
  
"Chaos brings Peace."  
  
"It's ripped." Chester said.  
  
"Chaos brings Peace?" Slade asked.  
  
"It looks like there's more to it, but, it's not all there." Chester said.  
  
"Nevermind....Bowie's......Gone." Sarah said. 


	2. Chapter 2: Runefaust

Chapter 2 - Runefaust  
  
It was the day after the king's death. Ellis and Sir Astral planned a funeral for this day. Every peasent, farmer, shopkeeper, guard, and force member were there. Only two archers were left on the top of the castle.  
  
"We are here today to honour our late king." Ellis started. Jaha looked around.  
  
"Look there, Chester." Jaha said.  
  
"Where?" Chester asked while looking around.  
  
"What are those guys doing?" Jaha asked.  
  
"I dunno, but, we need to find out." Chester said and he and Jaha went over to the two guys hiding in a bush.  
  
"Is it ready?" One of the two asked.  
  
"Shhhh!!! I'm working on it." The other awnsered.  
  
"Hurry up! I have a feeling that Runefaust will have difficulty taking this city." The first one said.  
  
"Why would it be difficult?" The second one asked.  
  
"Because the king's army defeated Zeon." The first one replied.  
  
"Ah....But, they're king defeated Zeon. His army helped. The king is dead. There's no worry." The second one said with a smile. Then, a spear went flying into each of them.  
  
"Ha! You two boys have some questions to awnser." Chester said running up to them. Jaha came up behind him.  
  
"We have...No words for the likes of you." The first one said and took out the spear in him.  
  
"Runefaust will destroy everyone!" The second one said and also took out his spear. Jaha pointed his axe at the first one.  
  
"Tell us who killed the king!" Jaha yelled.  
  
"Have a nice death.......Fools!" They both said and stabbed themselves in the head with Chester's spears.  
  
"Blast! So close." Chester said.  
  
"Runefaust........Isn't that the same city that the archer warned us about?" Jaha asked.  
  
"I dunno...But-" Chester started.  
  
"Force! You had better come have a look at this!" A archer yelled. The force hurried up.  
  
Kaster was in his room reading the paper he took from his fathers corpse.  
  
"Dear Kaster  
  
I know that I haven't been around for you that much. And I apologize for it.  
  
And just to show you I'm sorry, look in my room. In my closet there's a   
  
piece of wood there. Break the wood, and take the sword that's in it.  
  
Jaha and Slade have agreed to teach you. I hope to see you a great  
  
swordsmen. I'm so sorry, Kaster.  
  
-Bowie  
  
P.S. Don't tell your mom."  
  
Kaster ran into his fathers room and took the piece of wood.  
  
"It's about time I got a sword." He said while wiping the tears from his eyes. He took it, and ran into his room.  
  
"Now then......How to open it.......I got it!" Kaster said happily and ran to the window. He dropped the block of wood out of the window and started running out the castle.  
  
"What's the matter?" Sarah asked. The archer pointed.  
  
"How long have they been there?" Chester asked.  
  
"About half an hour." The archer replied.  
  
"I can't see! Show me what's going on!" Jaha said. May, another centaur, lifted him up on her saddle. Jaha saw the biggest army he's ever seen sitting at the edge of the forest.  
  
"Oooohhh......Not good." Jaha said.  
  
Then a man in a mask got on top of a boulder and looked at the force.  
  
"Halt! Who goes there?" Chester asked. "I've always wanted to do that." Chester told Sarah. Sarah rolled her eyes.  
  
"My name is Darksol." The masked man said.  
  
"Darksol?!" Sarah asked.  
  
"Yes. Now then, if you'll open the gate, I have a gift for the queen. For it is dark times indeed." Darksol said.  
  
"A gift? Oooohhh!" Most of the force said. Chester, Sarah, Slade, Peter, Jaha, Kazin, May, and Kiwi didn't like the idea. The other twenty force members opened the gate.  
  
Kaster went running out on the streets. He went to his new sword.  
  
"Wow! It looks neat!" Kaster said and started swinging it around. Then he saw a army coming at him. Darksol leading the way. It looked as though he was giving the queen a gift. Until a archer from his army shot a peasent.  
  
"Runefaust army attack!" Darksol said and everyone went running towards the nearest person.  
  
"I knew we shouldn't have opened the gate." Chester said.  
  
"Hurry! We have to go save the queen!" Sarah said and the force ran down the castle.  
  
Darksol was going towards the queen.  
  
"I have a present for you, your highness. A arrow for you." Darksol told the queen with a snicker.  
  
"Arrow.....You!...You killed my husband!" Ellis screamed.  
  
"Yes. And you will be next." Darksol said. Then he got his bow out and shot at the queen. But, as the arrow was heading to her, May shot it with a arrow of her own.  
  
"Blast it all!" Darksol said while looking left. "The Shining Force. I tell you that this is the end. Enjoy your death." Darksol said and started charging them.  
  
"Get ready.....Attack!" Sarah said and they charged Darksol. But, then Darksol held his hand up and archers shot at the force. Many were killed. Sarah went throughout the force healing as she went along.  
  
Kaster was in a corner crying. He was also very angry.  
  
"That masked moron killed daddy! I will get him!" Kaster said and charged Darksol.  
  
"AUGH!" Screamed a force member before falling in front of the queen.  
  
"And now, your highness, it's your turn." Darksol said as he lifted his sword up.  
  
"Ellis!" Sarah screamed as she fought a Demon.  
  
Darksol lifted up his sword and brought it down in a fury.  
  
"Clank!" Went the sword as it hit another one. Darksol followed the sword to a little body. It was Kaster.  
  
"Kaster?!" Ellis said very suprised.  
  
"Don't worry, mom. This ugly man won't hurt you. I'm here." Kaster said with a gleam in his eye.  
  
"Kid, kid, kid. You need not worry about your mom. She's going to be taken care of just fine. I'll just slit her throat, and then I'll kill you, son of Bowie." Darksol said and walked towards Ellis. But Kaster screamed and cut Darksol across the stomach.  
  
"Ow! You little!" Darksol said angrily and cut Kaster across the chest. Kaster fell over in pain. Then Darksol went towards the queen and cut her across the throat. Ellis fell over.  
  
"There. Now I have no need for you puny Granseal scum. I will dispose of you all!" Darksol said and charged a innocent old lady.  
  
"Stop!" A old voice yelled out. Darksol look around and saw Sir Astral.  
  
"You will do no more harm to this city." Astral said.  
  
"Astral? You betrayed us! And for that, you won't come out alive either!" Darksol said. But Sir Astral cast a spell and Darksol screamed in terror.  
  
"Go back to Runefaust you creature of the devil!" Astral said.  
  
"Alright. You win, old friend. Runefaust! Retreat!" Darksol said and he and his army left.  
  
"Astral, what did Darksol mean by 'You betrayed us'?" Chester asked.  
  
"Nevermind that. Look towards the queen." Astral said and ran to the queen. She was alive.  
  
"Kaster......Where's Kaster?" Ellis asked.  
  
"He's alright. It wasn't a deep cut." Sarah said as she healed Kaster.  
  
"He thought that he got rid of me, eh? Well, isn't he in for a suprise?" Darksol said and turned back towards Granseal.  
  
"Ready? Fire!" He yelled out and catapults and archers launced rocks and arrows at the city.  
  
"Look!" Chester said and pointed to the sky. It looked as though a meteor shower was coming down.  
  
"Those are rocks and boulders from Runefaust! Flee!" Sir Astral said. Boulders bombarded the entire town, wiping out many. Ellis was paralized after she was hit with one of the boulders.  
  
"You must get Kaster out of here! Hurry!" Ellis said.  
  
"Your majesty....." Kazin started.  
  
"We can't." Peter finished.  
  
"I'm not asking you. I'm not telling you. I'm ordering you! Run! Go to Rune!" Ellis yelled.  
  
Sarah tried healing Ellis, but it did no good.  
  
"Now!" Ellis screamed.  
  
"Mommy....I.....Won't......Let...........Them....." Kaster said. Then Chester put him on his saddle.   
  
"Let's get out of here!" Chester said and they ran off. Kaster looked back only to see his mom get hit and buried by more boulders.  
  
"Mommy!" He screamed and held his arms out as if to hug her. As the remainder of the force escaped, some were shot by arrows, others were hit by boulders.  
  
"We're almost out! Hurry!" Peter said. Then, Darksol stepped in the way.  
  
"Going somewhere?" He asked with a smirk on his face.  
  
"Get lost, creep." Slade said.  
  
"Harsh words for a rodent." Darksol said. He charged Chester. "This out to teach you to stay out of my way!" Darksol said as he lifted his sword.   
  
Suddenly, he stopped and dropped his sword. He looked down and found a arrow stuck in his chest. He looked around and saw that May shot him.  
  
"I won't let you escape!" He yelled. The force ran past him and started towards the shipyard. But, Darksol cast a spell, and many demons ran into May.  
  
"Aaaaahhhhh!" She screamed and fell over.  
  
"May!" Chester said and stopped.  
  
"Chester, there's nothing more we can do. We must get out of here." Jaha said. Chester just nodded and they started running. When they got to the shipyard, which was about a mile away from the city, they saw it on fire and they heard screaming.  
  
"Man. This is the second time that's happend!" Jaha said.  
  
"Let's go. Ellis is right. Rune." Sarah said as they got to the boat. 


	3. Chapter 3: Sailing to Rune

Chapter 3- Sailing to Rune  
  
"Get up here, guys!" Sarah yelled.  
  
"Just a minute, Sarah! We're deciding who's our leader!" Came the reply from Chester.  
  
"Who gives a darn?! We're under attack!" Sarah yelled. The other six ran up quickly.   
  
"Let's take 'em out!" Peter said.  
  
"Wait....Where's Kaster?" Sarah asked.  
  
"Sleeping." Slade awnsered. Then they enemies climbed onto the boat. The force attacked. Sarah nailed a Black Octipus right in the face. Blood squirted out as the Octipus fell out of the boat and into the sea. Chester threw a spear into another Octipus. Jaha chopped off the Ocitpus' tentacles. Peter called a cyclone forward and it flew into the Octipus. The Octipus went soaring into the air and fell into the ocean. Slade cast Rajin on seven Octi. They all were shocked as Electricity went into their bodies and fried them.   
  
"Who's hungry?" Slade asked.  
  
Meanwhile, Kaster was still asleep when a Purple Octipus went into his chambers.   
  
"Ggguuuoeoo." The Octipus said. Kaster woke up.  
  
"What the....!!!" Kaster said. He ran to the stairs, but, tentacles blocked the way. So, Kaster drew his sword and chopped them off. The Octipus squealed as Kaster ran up the stairs. He ran straight into Sarah.  
  
"What are you doing up here?" Sarah asked. Kaster told Sarah the story.  
  
"Stay next to me." Sarah said. "Have you ever seen Kazin cast magic?" She asked Kaster. Kaster shook his head. Then Sarah pointed to Kazin. He cast Apollo on a couple Octipus'. They both blew up as fireballs hit them. Kaster's eyes were the size of hubcaps. At long last, all the enemies on deck were destroyed.  
  
"Good job, guys." Chester said while putting away a black spear.  
  
"Sarah! What about the purple one downstairs?" Kaster asked.  
  
"Shoot! I forgot about him!" Sarah yelled.  
  
"Purple one?" Jaha asked. They ran down to where Kaster said was the Octipus. Sure enough, there was a purple Octipus below deck. He wasn't ripping up the boards or anything.  
  
"Die freak!" Kiwi yelled as he rammed the Ocitpus. The Octipus went flying off the floor and went out the window. But, as it did so, it grabbed pieces of wood. One plank of wood for each tentacle. It grabbed enough to start the sinking process.  
  
"Oh no...." Chester said, backing up.  
  
"We've got to get out of here!" Sarah yelled and everyone ran up the stairs. They had to find somewhere to land.  
  
"There!" Kaster yelled out and pointed towards a small island.  
  
"Good eye, Kaster!" Jaha said. Kazin just nodded and steered the ship that direction. They made it to the island easily. But, they're ship had sunk. 


	4. Chapter 4: The mysterious Island

Chapter 4 - The mysterious island  
  
As the force neared the island, they got a better look at it. The island was in a circular shape, and has a beach circling the entire island. A forest in the middle, and, standing up in the sky, was a volcano. The top of the volcano was covered in clouds. And dark one's at that.  
  
"Alright, guys. We need to split up and find out more about this mysterious island." Sarah said while getting the force in a straight line. "Chester, you and Jaha go and find a good camping site. We need clean water, as well." Sarah said.  
  
"Yes, mo-" Jaha started before Chester whacked him.  
  
"What?" Sarah asked with her back turned.  
  
"Nothing. We'll be going, now." Jaha said and he and Chester left.  
  
"Ok. We need to explore that volcano up there. Peter, Slade, Kaster. You guys go and find out what's up there." Sarah said. "The rest of us will wait for Chester and Jaha to come back so we can make a shelter with the boat." Sarah said. So, Kaster, Peter, and Slade set off to find out what's at the top of the volcano.  
  
"Since when was she in charge?" Chester asked.  
  
"I dunno. Since we got on the boat?" Jaha answered, while looking around.  
  
"Yeah. I guess. Well..." Chester started.  
  
"What?" Jaha asked.  
  
"Shhh." Chester said. "Do you hear that?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Nope. Nothing." Jaha said.  
  
"It sounds like Drums." Chester said. "Must be my imagination."   
  
"Yeah. Must be." Jaha said.  
  
"Well, let's go into the forest and look for a campsite." Chester said and they walked into the forest. Little did they know that there were eyes watching them.   
  
"Why are we going to the top of a volcano?" Slade asked. "I know what we're going to find! Hot lava!" He shouted out.  
  
"Well, maybe, maybe not. Volcanoes have been known to hide tribes and enemies." Peter said.  
  
"I hope there are cool looking things there!" Kaster shouted out.  
  
"How old are you, again?" Peter asked.  
  
"I'll be turning 12 in a few weeks." Kaster said.  
  
"Ah. 12. I don't remember being that young." Peter said.  
  
"Me either. Ah well. We're reaching." Slade started.  
  
"What?" Kaster asked.  
  
"I hear drums." Slade said quietly.  
  
"Me too." Peter said. Kaster just looked around the forest nervously.  
  
"I must be hearing noises." Slade said.  
  
"Then your hearing the same noises I'm hearing!" Peter said.  
  
"Let's go." Said Slade, gripping his sword. Kaster quickly followed. Peter flew a bit behind. And they started climbing the mountain.  
  
"Sir.There are creatures all over the island." A voice said.  
  
"What are they?" A very, very deep voice asked.  
  
"Well, Sir Gluck. There's a Centaur, a Dwarf, a Rat, a Bird, a Monster, a Human, and two Elves." The first voice answered.  
  
"Bring them to me." Gluck said.  
  
"Yes sir." The voice said and left.  
  
"Why are there wanderers on our sacred island?" Gluck asked himself.  
  
"People of Arlock, we must find these intruders and bring them to Sir Gluck alive!" The voice said.  
  
"But, Gringham, how do we capture them?" The villagers asked.  
  
"There are but 8 of them. If we all work together, we can capture them." Gringham said. "Let us go!" He yelled out. All the villagers shouted and they left.  
  
"Man, They've been gone a long time." Sarah said, while making sand markings.  
  
"Maybe we should look for them?" Kiwi asked looking up from his helmet.  
  
"No. If we go and look for them, they could come back here and find us missing. That wouldn't be good." Kazin said.  
  
"Kazin's right. We must wait for them." Sarah said.   
  
"What's that?" Kazin asked.  
  
"What's what?" Kiwi asked.  
  
"I hear something." Kazin said. Kazin readied his Gold staff, while Sarah readied her Giant, Silver knuckles. Kiwi got his helmet on and stood at attention. Suddenly, 20 or more creatures jumped out of the forest and charged. They were completely black. Only wearing a bit of silver across their chests. They carried Silver, blood stained maces. And they had a face much like a witch. Kazin immediately cast Apollo on a group of about four or five of them. The group stopped as they looked at the giant image of the Greek god looking at them. Then, explosions went off all around the group. They screamed and squealed like crazy, then, fell over dead. Apollo then vanished, like a vapor in the sky. Sarah charged a bunch and started attacking. She punched one's long nose into his brain, and he fell over dead. Kiwi charged one and blew flames at him. But, as the three fought as much as they could, they were crazily outnumbered. As they killed a group of 10, 20 more would come out of the bushes. Soon, Kazin's staff was snapped in two by one of them. Sarah's knuckles were pulled off of her, and Kiwi was taken down by about 15 creatures and tied down. They also put a sticky leaf-type thing over Kiwi's mouth so he couldn't breath fire. Then, the creatures knocked out Kazin, Sarah, and Kiwi and carried them away.  
  
"Hey! How's this?" Jaha asked, looking around the beautiful spot he had found. It was a large area, hidden with the shade of the trees; it had a clean waterfall near its base, and a creek running right through the middle of Jaha's camp.  
  
"It's perfect" Chester said, resting against a tree. Jaha just smiled.  
  
"I know." Jaha said. Suddenly, he started looking around.  
  
"What is it?" Chester asked, putting his hands behind his head.  
  
"I hear something." Jaha said.  
  
"Oh come on! That's just a figment of your imagination." Chester said. Then, a group of creatures came out of the bushes, took Chester's spear, and knocked him out with it.  
  
"This is a figment of my imagination?" Jaha said and started fighting. He only killed a few when his axe was launched into a tree trunk. The creatures overpowered him and knocked him unconscious as well.  
  
"Well..We're..Reaching...The..Top." Slade said, while gasping for air.  
  
"Yeah. Hey, there's a neat little flat spot, there! Let's rest there!" Peter said. Slade and Kaster didn't mind a little rest. They walked over to it, and Kaster looked down at the island below. It was a long way down. He saw the boat, still together. He also saw the forest. It didn't look very big anymore. He then looked upwards, and saw the top of the volcano was still covered in the clouds. Then, he looked out across the sea, and he saw Granseal. It was so small; he couldn't tell what it was by looks. But, he knew that it was his hometown by looking at the way the boat was facing. He then looked to the other side of the sea. He saw another land area. At first, he thought it was nothing, then, he realized it was Rune.  
  
"Hey, guys! It's Rune! We're not that far!" Kaster said.  
  
"Well what do you know? It is!" Slade said. Peter nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well, let's go back down and tell Sarah. There's nothing up here." Slade said. Peter agreed. As they were walking down, they saw a bunch of black creatures with silver breastplates running towards them.  
  
"Ogres!" Slade yelled out. "Run for it!" He said. The three ran up higher and higher, with the Ogres chasing them. When they got above the clouds to the very top of the volcano, they saw that it was dormant.   
  
"We have to go into the volcano! There's no other way!" Peter said. Slade nodded, and grabbed Kaster. Then, they jumped into the volcano. It felt like they were falling forever. Then, they landed in water. The water felt very mirky. The three got out, and started to move about. They couldn't really move because of the darkness. They had no idea where they were going.  
  
"You shouldn't have come here." They heard a voice say.  
  
"Who's there?" Slade asked and took out his sword. Peter readied his attacks, and Kaster took out his sword. Then, Kaster saw a pair of bright, yellow eyes. 


	5. Chapter 5: The escape of the volcanoe

Chapter 5 - The escape of the volcano  
  
"Do you not know who I am?" A voice echoed all over the room. "Other than a creep? No." Slade answered. "Very funny." The voice said. Then, they eyes got closer and closer. Suddenly, a gigantic creature appeared. It was at least 8 feet tall and it had the biggest arms Kaster had ever seen. Its face looked just like the other the ones Kaster had seen, but its eyes were yellow instead of white. "It's me.Gluck.Perhaps you've heard of me." Gluck said. Peter turned pale. "What is it?" Slade asked. "Gluck..He used to be the advisor of Volcanon." Peter said. "I knew he looked familiar." Slade joked. "Very funny.But you won't be able to escape, I'm afraid." Gluck sneered. "Oh yeah? Take this!" Slade said and charged Gluck. Gluck grabbed Slade's Katana out of his hand, easily. "Dang you! I have a better one, though!" Slade said. He took out his Gisarme and charged once more. Gluck quickly dodged and nailed Slade in the face. Slade went flying backwards into the side of the volcano. He fell unconscious. Peter then went after Gluck. But, Gluck cast Sleep and Peter collapsed. Kaster just dropped his sword and backed up. "Kid.Come with me." Gluck said. Kaster ran over to Peter. Gluck grabbed Peter, with Kaster attached, and also went and picked up Slade.  
  
Kaster woke up inside a huge room filled with Ogres. The room was at the bottom of the volcano, and it had a big pit of lava in the middle. Ogres were all over the place. Kaster looked to his left and right and saw his teammates tied to the wall. He was, as well, tied to the wall. Then, he looked in the middle and saw Gluck leaning over a stone table. "Where are we?" Kaster asked. "We're inside the Ogre home." Sarah said. "Why are there Ogre's everywhere?" Kaster asked no one in particular. "Sacrifice." Peter said, grimly. Gluck turned around and faced them. "You should not have come to our island. But, because you have, you mustn't be allowed to leave. And so, we will do to you as we've done with many others in the past.. Sacrifice!" Gluck exclaimed. "Why sacrifice us? Who are you sacrificing to?" Jaha asked. "Why.. Me, of course." Gluck said with a smirk on his face. Gluck lifted a sword into the air, and, swinging it down, he broke Kaster's chains. He grabbed him, and threw him onto the stone table. When Kaster landed, he saw that the table was stained in both red blood, and black. "Sacrifice is not only for you humans you see. Ogres have also tried to leave here. And so, they died. And now. It's your turn!" Gluck yelled as he brought his sword up. "Stop!" A voice said. "Who said that?!" Gluck yelled with a panicked look on his face. "..Sir...Astral?" Chester whispered. Suddenly a great light appeared in the middle of the room. And, a cloud-shaped form came from the light. And on the cloud was Sir Astral. "Ogres! Attack!" Gluck screamed at them. But, before the Ogres had a chance to attack Sir Astral, he cast a spell on the ground; and the ground collapsed into the lava on which the Ogres stood. Then, Sir Astral looked at Gluck. "Let them go." He said sharply. "Make me old man." Gluck said. "If that's the way you want it." Sir Astral said. And with that, he cast a spell. Gluck looked around him. "Looks as though that spell doesn't exist." He said. Astral smiled. "What?!" Gluck yelled. Astral tried not to laugh, but, let out a little chuckle. "Look above you.." Sir Astral said. Gluck looked up to see a giant boulder hovering above his head.  
  
"Let them go. Or else the boulder will crush you." He said. Gluck just smirked and ran to the right. "I can out-run a rock!" He said. But, the boulder chased him. And, before he had a chance to run again, the rock crushed him into the lava. Sir Astral got off of the cloud and went over to Kaster. "Sir Astral!" Kaster screamed and hugged him. "Yes, I am here." He said with a smile. "You're late!" Slade yelled. "And I have a right to be! You left me on the ship!" Astral said. "You were sleeping!" Slade said. "So?! I wanted to go. So, it's only fair that I show up late." He said and stuck his tongue out at Slade. "And now, I'm sure the Ogre's will have something to say." He said and left with Kaster. "Sir Astral. How did you do that?" Kaster asked. "One day, I'll tell you." Sir Astral said. "..Um...A little...Help here..Please.." Jaha said.  
  
Sir Astral went out of the volcano into a small village, where the villagers questioned him. "Where is Sir Gluck?" They asked. "He has fallen." Sir Astral said. Suddenly the crowd shouted with praise. "Finally he has been defeated. Thank you!" A villager said. "It is alright. But, there are still people roasting in there. Please go release them." Astral said and pointed to the cave entrance. "Of course. You five, come with me!" A villager said and left with five Ogres. Kaster looked at the village. He saw mostly mud-houses. But, there were a few nice sized, wooden houses. And on top of a hill was a gigantic house. "Gluck's house." Kaster thought. Sir Astral was busy talking to a villager about repairing the ship. Kaster looked back into the cave to see the force coming out. Kaster ran towards Chester and Jaha. Sir Astral went over to them as well. "Why'd you leave us in there?!" Slade yelled at Astral. "Maybe it'll teach you to be quiet next time." Astral said. "Peter. Was Gluck really the Advisor of Volcanon once?" Kaster asked. "Yes. But, now is not the time to talk about it." Peter said. "Tell us. Please?" Chester asked. Peter looked at Sir Astral. He nodded. "Very well." Peter said and began. "Sir Gluck used to be the smartest Ogre alive, and the nicest. He was considered by many to be the next Advisor of Volcanon. And, on that day. around three hundred years ago, Volcanon accepted him as Advisor. But, little did everyone know, Gluck was just trying to become King. He killed the king and blamed it on Volcanon's anger. Volcanon was furious about this and he destroyed Gluck, or so we thought. We had only found out around a decade ago he was still alive. But, Volcanon said that he probably died. And, to this day, we haven't had a Advisor to Volcanon." Peter said. "Who was the king?" Jaha asked. "King Bedoe's father." Peter said.  
  
"And his name?" Jaha asked. An Ogre came up to Sir Astral and starting whispering. Astral left the conversation.  
  
"All kings of Bedoe are called 'King Bedoe'. But, his father's name was Luke. The mother of our Luke felt it was reasonable to call him Luke." Peter said. "Nevermind that. It looks as though our ship will be repaired tomorrow. We should all get some rest. Follow me to the mansion." Astral said. They all followed him to the mansion and picked out certain rooms inside them. Kaster liked the dark blue color of the house. It looked like a tornado went through it, though. It was very messy, with papers and weapons all over the place. "We will rest here tonight." Sir Astral said. And with that, Kaster dozed off into a deep sleep. 


	6. Chapter 6: Rune

Chapter 6 - Rune  
  
Kaster was awakened by Chester early in the morning. "We're ready to go, Kaster." He said. Kaster nodded, then yawned. He got ready and went outside. It was a lively morning. Everyone was waiting to get going again. "Finally some human people!" Jaha exclaimed. Kaster walked into the kitchen. "Man..Where on earth did you come from?" Slade asked. "You're asking me where I came from? What about you!" Kiwi said. Kaster smiled at them and checked up on Sarah. She was quite nervous. "What's the matter, Sarah?" Kaster asked. "I just don't like traveling on a boat, that's all." She answered. Kaster just walked away toward Sir Astral, who was going over the world map. "Now, you want to head west for about half an hour. Then turn northwest for another half hour or so and you'll reach Rune." A villager said. "Thank you, Gringham, for all your help." Astral said. "Are we going to Rune, now?" Kaster asked. "Yes. In about 10 minutes." Astral said and smiled at Kaster. "Why don't you enjoy yourself until then?" He said and turned to Gringham again. Kaster was pretty quiet until then. He tried to sleep, but the room was way to noisy. Finally, they all stopped and went to the boat. When they got on the boat, they all went to different spots. Kaster said he was tired and went down below. And, after a while of talking and trying to get the sails working again, the force left Arlock. After about half an hour, Sarah went down below to check up on Kaster.  
Kaster was sitting up, looking at the wall on the other side of the room. Sarah came down and knocked on the wall. "We're almost at Rune." She said. "Ok.I'll be up soon." Kaster said. "You ok, Kaster?" Sarah asked, sitting next to him. "Yeah. It's just.I really miss him." Kaster said. "Oh. I see. It's your dad." Sarah said, a bit sad. "I really, really miss him. And I wish I could see his face just one more time!" Kaster said, with tears running down his face. "You aren't the only one." Sarah started before trailing off. "I can't take it. I've tried to forget about him, but I just can't. I wish I could be more like you, Sarah." Kaster said, looking at her. "Why me?" She asked. "You aren't sad when you hear his name, you don't like talking about him. It's almost as if you liked him." Kaster said in a joking matter. Sarah looked shocked. "You ok?" He asked. "I.Er.Fine." She said. "We're almost at Rune, hurry up and get on deck!" She said and stormed off. "What was that all about?" Kaster asked the wall, shrugged, and went up on deck. At first he couldn't see much of anything, but, soon, he saw Rune. It was a massive continent, Kaster had decided. It had grassy hills and mountains, not as many trees as Granseal, but, lovely all the same. He looked to his left. He saw many houses and boats. He looked to his right. He saw people waving to him from on the port. As they got closer he saw them better. It looked as though they were all amazingly happy to see guests. All, that is, except one person. He looked like a soldier. He had a long sword, purple hair that wasn't all too long. Down to his back, maybe. He also had armor on, and was fiddling with his gauntlets. They looked ancient. Kaster looked at his breastplate, it looked as though he had been hit there many times. There were battle marks all over it. The design on the chest could still be seen, but, not too easily. It had a mountain on it, and Sarah recognized it immediately and told the others. Kaster didn't mind the fact that he wasn't part of 'the others'; he was just happy to be at land. When they landed, Sir Astral was the first to go out. And the strange man greeted him. "Halt. What business do you have at the village of Krow?" He asked Astral. "We are trying to get to Rune. Have we succeeded?" Sir Astral asked. "Yes. You have. Now answer my question!" He demanded. "We are here because the army of Runefaust attacked our homeland, Granseal. And we're trying to escape to Rune." Sir Astral said. "I hear that Granseal is a fairly large city." He said. "We are all that is left. The others were killed." Sir Astral said. "And you're king?" He asked. "He's right here! Kaster, son of Bowie." Sir Astral said. "So he is dead, then." The man said. Kaster looked at him and saw that he was very sad. "Why does it bother you that a person far away has died?" Sir Astral asked the man. "I am not from Rune. And, in Krow there is no king. I protect the people here with my life. But, I was born in North Parmecia." The man said. "So, that symbol." Astral started. "It is the symbol of Tristain, my home town." The man said. "Tristain! Lovely town. Amazingly beautiful!" Astral said. "You've been there? I heard that devils occupy it now." He said. "Really? I didn't know. The last time we were there was about 12-13 years ago." Astral said. "Oh." He said. "What's your name?" Astral asked. "Aiccon. Son of Aicconith." He said. "Yes.I remember your father." Astral said. "Enough idle talk. Come, you can rest in my house, tonight." Aiccon said. "There probably isn't any room. Do not worry." Sir Astral said. "We don't want to barge in." Astral said. "Do not worry about me. I am going to stand watch tonight. Runefaust has been growing lately." Aiccon said. "Runefaust!!" Jaha yelled. "I will stand watch with you!" He said. "Very well, little one." He said. "Let us all get some rest." Astral said and they left to Aiccon's house. 


End file.
